Deputy Associate Commissioner, Student Supports and Continuous Improvement; Director VI

Position Overview

The Deputy Associate Commissioner of Student Supports and Continuous Improvement provides strategic leadership to ensure the needs of students in special populations are embedded across all academic and non‑academic initiatives of the agency and public schools. This role leads cross‑functional work within the agency and with external partners—including other state agencies, education service centers, and private/non‑profit education organizations—to drive coherent, system‑level improvements that positively impact student outcomes.

The DAC aligns policy, practice, resources, technical assistance, and professional learning across student support areas such as special education, emergent bilingual education, foster care, military‑connected students, students experiencing homelessness, and students identified as at risk under state or federal law or by local educational agencies. Key responsibilities include launching and maintaining a special education continuous improvement framework and developing a leadership impact and development series of professional development for special education leaders, emphasizing measurable impact.

The DAC provides executive‑level project management, ensuring multiple high‑priority projects progress simultaneously with clarity, precision, and urgency, and establishes enterprise‑level systems for planning, scheduling, risk management, quality assurance, and performance monitoring to ensure statewide initiatives deliver measurable results. The role requires advanced skill in designing, reviewing, and refining high‑quality products, including statewide guidance, technical assistance frameworks, instructional tools, and implementation resources that meet TEA’s standards for accuracy, coherence, accessibility, and strategic alignment.

Success in this role requires exceptional communication, influence, and stakeholder leadership. The DAC must communicate complex ideas clearly and persuasively to diverse audiences, build consensus across large‑scale initiatives, and ensure partners understand expectations, timelines, and resources. The role also oversees multiple statewide programs, manages budgets, directs grants and initiatives for LEA capacity building, and leads high‑performing teams delivering timely, high‑quality supports.

Through strategic vision, operational excellence, and strong influence across the education ecosystem, the DAC advances TEA’s mission by ensuring that students with diverse learning needs have equitable access to rigorous instruction, effective services, and meaningful college, career, or military pathways.

• Lead Systems‑Level Alignment for Special Populations:
  Ensure the needs of students with diverse learning needs and special populations are proactively integrated into all agency initiatives, policies, and programs, promoting shared ownership of outcomes and driving cross‑agency alignment.
• Executive Leadership and Oversight of Special Education Continuous Improvement, Leadership Development, and Technical Assistance:
  Launch and sustain the Special Education Performance Diagnostic, coordinate implementation, and provide executive oversight for technical assistance and field support systems.
• Design, Implement, and Oversee a Multi‑Year Outcomes and Performance Framework around Non‑Academic Factors:
  Create a strategy grounded in outcomes, milestones, and performance measures to track progress and improve student results.
• Policy Guidance, Implementation, and Accountability Alignment:
  Provide executive leadership for statewide policy development and implementation, ensuring alignment with federal and state requirements and translating policy into actionable resources.
• Team Management and Executive Leadership:
  Lead and mentor directors, managers, and statewide teams, build a high‑performing division, and oversee the department’s project portfolio, ensuring compliance with fiscal and instructional priorities.

• Education:
  
  Graduation from an accredited four‑year college or university.
• Experience:
  
  At least eight (8) years in education systems improvement, student supports, special populations…